Improvement in presses for cotton, hay



U'Mirno STATES PArENr EEICE.

JAMEs A. POTTER, OE PROVIDENCE, RHODE.isLAND, AND JAME's E.

KELsEY, or POUGHKEEPsiE, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN PRESSE-:s FORCOTTON, HAY, sae.

Spcrilcution forming part of Letters Patent No. l,79, dated September 25, 1840.

T0 all whom, t may concern,.-

Beitknown that we, J AMEs A. PO'r'rER, of the city of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, and J AMEs E. KELsEY, of Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of N ew York, have invented. an Improved Press for Pressing Cotton, Hay,and other Articles, by which press bales or bundles of such articles may be compressed so as to occupy a much smaller space than they do as ordinarily stowed on board of vessels or elsewhere; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

The part of our press within which the pressing is to be effected consists of two endless-chain platforms, constructed in a manner resembling the endless-chain floors or platforms used in many horse-powers. These endless-chain platforms are placed one above the other in such manner` that they shall be nearer together at one end than they are at the other, provision being made to alter the degree of their inclination or the relative dista-nce of their two ends.

Figure l in the accompanying drawings shows our press in perspective, A A being its fra-me, which may be placed upon whecls,so as readily to transport it from place to place. B

B are the two endless-chain platforms, which are composed of slats connected together by means of links at each of their ends, which links are to pass round wheels or drums at each end ofthe platforms. The links are marked a a a, and are represented as having the ends of iron bars passing through mortises or openings made in them for that purpose. The iron bars are firmly fastened to the slats, and extend their whole length to render them strong and inflexible. These we make of square bars of inch and a half iron, and we form a tenon on their ends to enable them to pass through the mortises made in the links. These tenons are so formed as to allow the requisite play in the mortises to admit of theirturning freely round the drums at the ends of the platform. The links may be connected together in various ways. Those that we have used have been made out of iron bars three-eighths of an inch thick and two inches and threequarters wide. Their length has been four and one-half inches.

Fig. 3 shows the form of theselinks, which we have connected together by strong joint-pins. Every other link is doubled, so as to embrace an intermediate link between them, as shown A in Fig. 3.

The gearing for moving the platforms may,

be arranged in various ways. In Fig. `1, C C are cog-wheels on the axes of the drums which sustain the .endless platforms. These axes have cog-wheels at each of their ends,

within the plates or arms, to be presently described, the cogs of which wheels mesh in between the iron bars on the under sides of thev chines, and which does not, therefore, require any further description, the same being well known. by means of the winch E, and gearing into the cog-wheel F, a pinion, G, uponthe shaft of which and behind the wheel gears into the wheel H. H is an intermediate wheel, gearing into H and into C', for the purpose of giving the proper direction to the platform B. -To sustain the axes of the drums of the endless floors and the friction-rollers against which they bear, we employ four plates or arms of cast-iron D D in which the fudgeons bb,V 7 7 b b and c c of the drums run. The gudgeons b b pass also through the frame of the machine,

as they are always to remain at the same dis-v tance from each other. The dotted lines-d d d show the place of friction-rollers on the inner sides of the plates or arms D D, for sustaining the pressure ofthe endless fioors. I I are levers, by means of which the ends ofthe endless floors with which they are connected may be made to approach toward or torecede from each other. The levers have the fulcra on the posts A A, and they are connected by links e e e e with the upper and lower platforms,which they move simultaneously. rlhe leversI I are -retained in place by pins, projections7 or catches on the arched pieces J J.

Operation: The bales or bundles which are to be pressed are to be passed in between the two platforms at that end at which they are at the greatest distance apart, and the machine being in motion they will be carried toward the opposite ends, and reduced to a thickness D is a pinion, represented as driven corresponding with their distance from each l therein, and desire to secure to ourselves by other. As theyleave thisendfthe baling-rope Letters Patent, isn l or other binding material is to betaken up and The employment of two revolving endless secured, and the operation is completed. The chain platforms, so constructed as that they dotted lines K represent a bale entering the shall be nearer together at one endthanthey are machine, and the lines L one which is being y at the other,in order thata bail or other article delivered from it. i passed between them shall be reduced in thick- Should it be desired, the geared end ofthe ness, said platforms being made adjustable,and platforms may be made adjustable, so as to l otherwise formed and operating substantially adapt them to bales of different sizes. This= in the manner herein set forth. 1 may be eieeted by changing the intermediate JAMES El KELSEY Wheel, II, ior one ol' another size, and allou- 4 AMES POTTER ing the gudgeons b to run in sliding boxes, f l l which may be raised or lowered by suitable i 'Vitnesses to the signature ofJas. E. Kelsey: adjusting-screws. i Tiros. P; JONES,

Having thus fully described themanner in K. MORSELL. which We construct our improved press, and lVitnessesto the signature of Jas. A. Potter: shown, also, the manner in which the same C. KELSEY, operates, what we claim as our invention JOSEPH KUNZ. 

